LSK Explains How Alleged Imposter Brian Njagi Infiltrated Systems

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) wants a man posing as an advocate arrested by the DCI.

LSK Nairobi branch Thursday warned the public about the individual identified as Brian Mwenda Njagi who has been impersonating an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.

Brian, LSK said, is not an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, nor a member of the society.

LSK President Eric Theuri also revealed how the impersonator infiltrated their systems and started practicing law.

According to Theuri, the suspect started by stealing the identity of Brian Mwenda Ntwiga through a fraud scheme known as Business Email Compromise (BEC).

LSK reached out to Ntwiga who confirmed that he had not applied for a practising certificate since his admission to the bar in August 2022.

Ntwiga explained that he had been working at the Office of the Attorney General and did not need a Practicing Certificate.

“It was only until sometime in September 2023 when he attempted to log in to the system and activate his profile with the intention of applying for his practising certificate that he realized he could not access his LSK portal,” said Theuri.

“He promptly alerted the ICT personnel at the Secretariat vide an email on the 28th September 2023, who upon inquiry noted that the details in the system, more particularly his email address did not belong to him hence the reason why he could not access his Membership portal.”

The suspect is said to have reached the law society expressing challenges in accessing his account. The LSK IT team then removed Ntwiga’s email address and updated the account with Mwenda’s, granting him access to the system.

Mwenda did not, however, pay for a practising certificate since he was required to provide documents including the certificate of business incorporation, which he did not possess.

“The LSK has commissioned an immediate review of the established protocols on change of membership credentials to enhance the internal control/ approval mechanisms. We have invited the DCI to send their investigators to launch a massive manhunt and the immediate arrest of the masquerader, (Brian Mwenda) and all his accomplices,” Theuri said.

Theuri warned that impersonators will be kept at bay, as LSK further digitizes its systems.

“The Council of the Law Society recognizes that masqueraders pose a serious threat to the practice of law and is determined to take decisive action to deal with this issue. We call on members to remain vigilant and inform the Secretariat or their respective Branches of any cases of suspected masqueraders for investigation and apprehension,” he added.

“We have further in cognizance of the challenges of investigating, tracing and arresting masqueraders, in the budget for the financial year 2024 made provisions for funds to support the weeding out of masqueraders.”